Method of leveling work material



Feb. 26, 1963 F. K. MAUST 3,078,908

METHOD OF LEVELING'WORK MATERIAL Filed Oct. 22. 1958 FIG. I. 2 20 2| 22|8 2s 29 2e 29 2e 29 I 7 27 7 n I2\ 1" ti} 5 l9 E3: eh -L\ J 46 3o 2 3o30 3o 32 3| 3231 32: 32 I4 1 3g 24 25 as INVENTOR.

FREDERICK K. MAUST BY ATTORNEY 3,078,908 METHOD F LEVELENG WORK MATERIALFrederick K. Maust, Queens Village, N.Y., Filed 0st. 22, 195s, Ser. No.768,991 7 Claims. (Cl. 153-86) This invention relates to backedup rollerlevelers for flattening and straightening plate, sheet and coiledmaterial and has particular reference to a novel arrangement of multipleadjustable supporting sections positioned in a novel way along thelongitudinal axesof their associated work or straightening rolis.

In a backed-up roller leveler, the material is subjected to a successionof transverse waves by passing it between two banks of cooperating workrolls, each bank of work rolls producing a succession of half-waves inthe material. Each bank of work rolls is backed-up by a series of shortsupport or backing rolls with suitable adjusting means, also calledbroadly support roll sections. These are spaced along and are in contactwith the work rolls. When it is desired to stretch preferentially shortareas of the work material, then the support roll sections are adjusteddifierentially so that the work rolls are either deflected into convex,concave or sinuous deflection or working contours or are deflected intosuch a contour by the work material passing between the banks of workrolls. The particular adjusted deflection contours always deepnd on thesetting of the support roll sections to accomplish certain desiredresults on the work material. The material to be leveled is thussubjected to waves whose amplitudes vary transversely of the materialcorresponding to the adjusted deflection contours of the work rolls.

In order to be effective, the work rolls of roller levelers must besmall in diameter. Small diameter work rolls would deflect under load,however, for which reason the work rolls must be backed-up or supportedby comparatively short and stiff supporting rolls. In practice, it isfrequently found that the load carrying capacity of the support rollbearings would only require comparatively few support roll sections, butthe flatness requirements of the trade have steadily grown morecritical. To satisfy these demands for precision leveled material,back-up roller levelers have also grown more elaborate and costly,because of the necessity of providing ever increasing numbers of supportroll sections along the work rolls, usually not on account of loadcarryingproblems, but in order to enable the operator to concentrate thecorrecting pressure precisely on those portions of the work materialwhich need correction. The high cost of present day backed-up rollerlevelers is directly traceable to the large number of support rollsections required along the longitudinal axes of the work rolls.

The problem of precision leveling with the least possible number ofsupporting sections has existed for many years. Many efforts have beenmade to overcome and solve this problem. The solutions previouslypresented have not proved successful. It has been suggested, forinstance, to employ one small diameter deflectable work roll in groupsof larger work rolls and to provide the small diameter work roll withlaterally adjustable supports. The lateral displacement has provedimpractical and, in addition to the mechanical difiiculties, thedeflection of only one single work roll has a very limited effectivnessas far as mill shape correction is concerned, because the portions ofthe work material to be corrected must be subjected to a multiplicity ofsuccessive tensile and compressive stresses in order to be effective.

The accepted general practice has been heretofore to locate the supportroll sections for the upper and lower banks of work rolls one directlyabove and in line with the other, namely, in the same vertical plane.FIG. 3 of Patented Feb. 26, 1963 my United States Patent No. 2,638,143shows this usual arrangement in that the three upper and three lowerflights of support roll sections are in vertical symmetry. Therefore,only three areas across the work material can be preferentially treatedby applying more or less pressure.

One object of this invention is to provide a novel support rollarrangement by positioning at least two support roll sections of onework roll bank in staggered relation to three support roll sections ofthe other work roll bank, so that the respective center lines throughsaid two first named support roll sections pass between adjacent bearingblocks of said three last named supoprt roll sections.

Another object is to provide the aforementioned stag gered upper andlower support roll sections with means for selectively and independentlydeflecting their associated work rolls into the desired workingcontours, so that the material is subjected to a multiplicity of wavestransversely to the direction of passage of the material throughcooperating banks of straightening rolls, forming a first series ofalternate half-waves of varying transverse amplitude in the material byselectively deflecting one bank of straightening rolls to correct afirst group of spaced apart localized areas across the width of thematerial and forming a second series of alternate half-waves of varyingtransverse amplitude by selectively deflecting the other bank ofstraightening rolls to correct a second group. of spaced apart.localized areas across the width of the material, the localized areas ofsaid first group alternating across the width of the material with the10'- calized areas of the second group in line with the aforementionedstaggered positioning of the upper support roll sections relative to thelower support roll sections.

With these and other objects in view who pointed out in thespecification and in the appended claims, several forms in which theinvention may be conveniently embodied in practice have been illustratedon the accompanying drawings, in which: 1 FIG. 1 is a partial front viewof a backed-up" roller leveler, partly in section, showing three uppersupport roll sections in staggered relation to four lower support rollsections.

FIG. 2 is a. partial section along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a modification with six upper adjustable support supportroll sections and seven lower support roll sections in staggeredrelation thereto; and

FIG, 4 illustrates seven upper support roll sections and six lowersupport roll sections, both upper and lower support roll sections beingadjustable towards and away from their associated work rolls.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper straightening or work rolls 11are journalled at their ends in suitable bearing blocks 12 and 13. Thelower work rolls 1'4 are similarly journalled in bearing blocks 15 and16. These bearing blocks, in turn, are suitably located in left andrighthand housings 17 and 18. The upper and lower work rolls may bedriven in the usual manner by means of universal joints and drivespindles 19 from a gear-box (-not shown) and prime mover (not shown), asis well known in the art.

The three upper support roll sections 20, 21 and 22 are identical to thefour lower support roll sections 23, 24-, 25 and 26. As the constructionof these support roll sections and their adjustment is well known in theart, only support roll section 23 is shown in more detail, as anexample. It consists in a multiplicity of short support or backing rolls3%? arranged to nest their associated work rolls 14 for the purpose ofpreventing them from any undesired vertical or horizontal deflection, asbest seen in FIG. 2 of the drawing. The ends of the short backing rolls3% are rotatably mounted in bearing blocks 31 and 32. The support rolls3% are usually rotated by frietional contact with their work rolls 14.Bearing blocks 31 and 32 are secured to cradle 37, which is supported onsaddle 38. Cradle 37 and saddle 38 have matching curvilinear slidingsurfaces 39 to permit support rolls 30 to f ollowthe deflection contourof the work rolls. The cradle 37 and saddle 38 are connected by springrods 41 threaded in the cradle 37 and springs 40. Adjusting screws 42,wormwheels 43, worms 44 and shafts 45 may be employed to adjust thesupport roll section toward or away from the work rolls 14 for thedeflection of the latter into any desired deflection contour. Byadjusting each one of the upper and lower support roll sectionsselectively, the patterns of transverse variation of the amplitudes ofthe half-waves produced in the material by the upper and lower workrolls may be changed to produce the best leveling results for a givenmill shape of the distorted material. Instead of the adjusting meansshown, wedges or similar means may be employed for the displacement ofthe support roll sections and reference is made to my United StatesPatent No. 2,638,143, column 6, Deflection of upper straightening rolls.

The upper support roll sections 20, 21 and 22 with their support rolls27, including bearing blocks 28 and 29 may be adjustable by similarmeans, as above described, to displace them vtowards and away firomtheir associated upper work rolls 11.

If the overall widths of the top and bottom support roll sections areall substantially alike as shown, the top and bottom support rollsections may be said to be unifiormly staggered. Hence, the distancesbetween the vertical center lines through any two adjacent support rollsections are the same, both for the top group of support roll'sections20, 21, 22, as well as for the bottom group of support roll sections 23,24, 25 and 26. Consequently, the vertical center lines through the twoadjacent'roll sections 21 and 22 pass midway between the threeassociated staggered support roll sections 24, 25 and 26. While thisuniform stagger is usually desirable, the overall widths of adjacentsupport roll sections may differ, if it is so desired. However,according to the present invention, the condition must still be met thattwo adjacently positioned support roll sections, such as 21 and 22 ofthe upper work roll bank, must be so staggered with respect to threecooperative support roll sections 24, 25 and 26 of the lower work rollbank that the respective vertical center lines through support rollsections 21 and 22 pass between adjacentbearing blocks 32 and 31 ofsupport roll sections 24 and 25 and adjacent bearing blocks 32 and 31 ofadjacent support roll sections 25 and 26, respectively. Inasmuch as thevertical center lines through adjacent adjustable support roll sectionsare equivalent to the respective positions of the available pressurepoints along the work rolls, the vertical center lines through the shortareas of the work material, which may be given preferential pressure,coincide with the before mentioned vertical center lines through theseveral support roll sections. The required relation of staggering ofassociated support roll sections may also be defined by stating that thetotal width of two adjacent support roll sections, such as 21 and 22,must be substantially equal to the distance between the vertical centerlines of the first and third support roll sections 24 and 26 of thethree staggered associated support roll sections 24, 25 and 26. Thewidth of a support roll section may be said to be substantiallyequivalent to the width of the support area which may be stretched bythe adjustment of the support roll section relative to its work rollbank.

The new supporting arrangement for the vertically spaced apart upper andlower work rolls 11 and 14 may be described as consisting of a pluralityof what may be termed supporting trios located in predetermined fixedpositions along the longitudinal axes of the work rolls. Each supportingtrio comprises one support section or support unit, such as 20, for oneroll bank-11 in com bination with two coacting support sectionsor-support units, such as 23 and 24, for the other roll bank 14. Supportor back-up rolls 27 and 30 contact and support their respective workrolls 11 and 14 against undesired deflection. Coacting support sections23 and 24, FIG. 1, are positioned immediately below support section 20and are symmetrical thereto, the vertical center line through supportsection 20 being located between the vertical center lines of saidassociated support sections 23 and 24. In the closely spaced supportsection arrangement shown in FIG. 1, the group or series of uppersupport sections 20, 21, 22 are located in oifset positions with respectto the lower series or group of support sections 23, 24, 25, 26 so thatthe back-up rolls 27 of upper support section 20, for instance, overlapadjacent ends of the back-up rolls 30 of lower coacting support sections23 and 24.

With three upper and four lower support roll sections as shown in FIG.1, the operator of the leveler has the possibility of applyingpreferential stretching pressure to seven distinctly different areasacross the width of the work material. In levelers of previously knowndesigns, seven upper and seven lower support roll sections would havebeen required to obtain similar flexibility.

A very substantial part of the cost of the leveler is thus saved withoutsacrificing leveling etiiciency. Furthermore, in case of need, it isphysically impossible to provide the same number of pressure applicationpoints with previously known designs in the same space between thehousings as it is with. the staggered arrangement of thepresent'invention. The reason is that a given width between the levelerhousings permits a certain limited maximum number of support sectionsalong the longitudinal axes of the upper and lower work rolls 11 and 14,respectively. Therefore, in critical applications which may re quire themaximum possible points of pressure application, my new arrangementpermits twice the number of such pressure application points-minusone--as compared with presently known backed-up roller levelers.

Different numbers of support roll sections maybe employed. FIG. 3 shows,as an example, six support roll sections 33 for the upper work rollslocated in staggered relation to seven support roll sections 34 for thelower work roll's. This results in thirteen pressure points across thewidth of the work material. Similarly, the greater number of supportroll sections may be located along the upper straightening rolls, asshown in FIG. 4, where seven support rolls 35 in a row are shown alongthe longitudinal axes of the upper straightening rolls, while sixsupport rolls 36 are plac'ed'along the longitudinal axes of the lowerstraightening rolls, as to alternate with the spaces between the uppersupport rolls 35. In other words, the upper support rolls 35 are said tobe staggered with respect to the lower support rolls 36 along thelongitudinal axes of their respective work rolls 11 and 14. It is thusseen that my new arrangement produces as many spaced apart pressurepoints across the width of the material as the number of support rollsections employed for both banks or rows of work rolls, namely thirteenin the arrangements shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

The correction of the work material is accomplished by increasing ordecreasing the amplitude of certain portions of the waves across thewidth of the material. Thus considering the arrangement shown in FIGS. 1and 2, the amplitude of the half-waves formed in the material by thedeflection of lower work rolls 14 is controllable at four pointscoinciding with the vertical center lines through each of the foursupport roll sections 23, 24, 25 and 26. By raising or lowering each oneof these support roll sections with respect to their associated workrolls 14, the amplitudes of portions of the transverse halfwavesdirectly above these supporting sections may be increased or decreased,respectively. This holds similarly for the variation of the amplitudesof the half-waves formed by the deflected upper work rolls 11 due to thedisplacement of support sections 20, 21 and 22. The portions of thehalf-waves whose amplitude can be varied are spaced apart along the workrolls equivalent to the center distance between support roll sections.In the present arrangement, the actual available spacing is reduced toonehalf said center distance on account of the staggered relationship ofupper support roll sections 24' 21 and 22 with respect to lower supportroll sections 23, 24, 25 and 26, or it may be said that the group ofshort areas which may be corrected by the selective deflection of thelower Work rolls is staggered with respect to the group of short areaswhich may be corrected by the selective deflection of the upper workrolls.

The principle of staggering support roll sections of one work roll bankwith respect to the support roll sections of the other work roll bankmay be applied to any of the support roll arrangements known in the art.It is convenient, but not essential, to provide an odd number of supportroll sections for one bank of straightening rolls and an even number ofsupport roll sections for the other bank of straightening rolls. Variousother changes and modifications will be obvious to those skilled in theart. I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placedupon my invention as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

l. The method of treating sheet and strip material in backed-up rollerlevelers, comprising bending the material in a multiplicity of Wavestransversely to the direction of movement of the material between twocooperating banks of straightening rolls, forming a first series ofalternate half-waves of varying transverse amplitude in the workmaterial by selectively deflecting one bank of straightening rolls tostretch a first group of spaced apart localized areas across the widthof the material, forming a second series of alternate half-waves ofvarying transverse amplitude in the work material by selectivelydeflecting the other bank of straightening rolls to stretch a secondgroup of spaced apart localized areas across the width of the material,the localized areas of said first group alternating uniformly across thewidth of the material and longitudinally of the axis of thestraightening rolls with the localized areas of said second group, andarranging back-up rollers of the first and second banks of straighteningrolls in such manner as to collectively operate to form the material thefull Width thereof.

2. The method of claim 1, in which the variation of the transverseamplitude of said first series of half-waves is different than thevariation of the transverse amplitude of said second series ofhalf-waves.

3. The method of leveling Work material in backed-up roller levelersbetween two banks of cooperating straightening rolls, which comprisessubjecting the work material to a first series of half-waves of varyingtransverse amplitude by deflecting one bank of straightening rolls toincrease the transverse amplitude along spaced apart portions of saidhalf-waves for stretching a first group of short areas across the widthof the work material, subjecting the Work material at the same time to asecond series of half-waves of varying transverse amplitude bydeflecting the other bank of straightening rolls to increase thetransverse amplitude along spaced apart portions of said second seriesof half-waves for stretching a second group of short areas across thewidth of said material, and said first group of short areas beingstaggered with respect to said second group of short areaslongitudinally of the axis of the straightening rolls in such a mannerthat arrangement of back-up rollers of the first and second banks ofstraightening rolls will collectively operate to form the material thefull width thereof and that the total width of two adjacent short areasof said first group is substantially equal to the distance between thevertical center lines through the first and third short areas of threeassociated short areas of said second group.

4. The method of claim 3, in which the pattern of transverse variationsof the amplitudes of the first series of half-waves is different fromthe pattern of transverse variations of the amplitudes of the secondseries of halfwaves.

5. The method of leveling Work material in backed-up roller levelersbetween two banks of cooperating straight ening rolls, which comprisessubjecting the work material to a first series of half-waves of varyingtransverse amplitude by deflecting one bank of straightening rolls toincrease the transverse amplitude along spaced apart portions of saidhalf-Waves for stretching a first group of short areas across the widthof the work material, subjecting the Work material at the same time to asecond series of half-waves of varying transverse amplitude bydeflecting the other bank of straightening rolls to increase thetransverse amplitude along spaced apart portions of said second seriesof half-Waves for stretching a second group of short are-as across theWidth of said material, said first group of short areas being uniformlystaggered with respect to said second group of short areaslongitudinally of the axis of the straightening rolls, and arrangingbackup rollers of the first and second banks of straightening rolls insuch manner as to collectively operate to form the material the fullwidth thereof.

6. The method of leveling work material in backedup roller levelersbetween two bank-s of cooperating straightening rolls, which comprisessubjecting the work material to a first series of half-waves of varyingtransverse amplitude by deflecting one bank of straightening rolls toincrease the transverse amplitude along spaced apart portions of saidhalf-waves for stretching a first group of short areas across the widthof the work material, subjecting the work material at the same time to asecond series of half-waves of varying transverse amplitude bydeflecting the other bank of straightening rolls to increase thetransverse amplitude along spaced apart portions of said second seriesof half-waves for stretching a second group of short areas across thewidth of said material, and said first group of short areas beinguniformly staggered with respect to said second group of short areaslongitudinally of the axis of the straightening rolls in such a mannerthat arrangement of back-up rollers of the first and second banks ofstraightening rolls will collectively operate to form the material thefull width thereof and that the distances between successive centerlines through adjacent short areas are substantially the same for saidfirst and second groups.

7. The method of leveling Work material in backed-up roller levelersbetween two banks of cooperating straightening rolls, which comprisessubjecting the work material to a first series of half-waves of varyingtransverse amplitude by deflecting one bank of straightening rolls toincrease the transverse amplitude along spaced apart portions of saidhalf-waves for stretching a first group of short areas across the widthof the work material, subjecting the work material at the same time to asecond series of half-waves of varying transverse amplitude bydeflecting the other bank of straightening rolls to increase thetransverse amplitude along spaced apart portions of said second seriesof half-waves for stretching a second group of short areas across thewidth of said material, and said first group of short areas beinguniformly staggered with respect to said second group of short areaslongitudinally of the axis of the straightening rolls in such a mannerthat arrangement of back-up rollers of the first and second banks ofstraightening rolls Will collectively operate to form the material thefull width thereof and that the vertical center lines through twoadjacent short areas of said first group of short areas passsubstantially midway between the center lines through three staggeredassociated short. areas of said second group.

(References on following page) References Cited in the file of thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS Jernberg Nov. 21, 1899 Mallett June 9, 1903Ungerer Jan. 2, 1940 Maussnest Feb. 17, 1942 Greulich n May 2, 1944 8Trudeau Mar. 23, 1948 Maust May 12, 1953 Whittum Sept. 27, 1955 ToddFeb. 7, 1956 Kusters Mar. 24, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Sept. 7, 1942

1. THE METHOD OF TREATING SHEET AND STRIP MATERIAL IN BACKED-UP ROLLERLEVELERS, COMPRISING BENDING THE MATERIAL IN A MULTIPLICITY OF WAVESTRANSVERSELY TO THE DIRECTIONOF MOVEMENT OF THE MATERIAL BETWEEN TWOCOOPERATING BANKS OF STRAIGHTENING ROLLS, FORMING A FIRST SERIES OFALTERNATE HALF-WAVES OF VARYING TRANSVERSE AMPLITUDE IN THE WORKMATERIAL BY SELECTIVELY DEFLECTING ONE BANK OF STRAIGHTENING ROLLS TOSTRETCH A FIRST GROUP OF SPACED APART LOCALIZED AREAS ACROSS THE WIDTHOF THE MATERIAL, FORMING A SECOND SERIES OF ALTERNATE HALF-WAVES OFVARYING TRANSVERSE AMPLITUDE IN THE WORK MATERIAL BY SELECTIVELYDEFLECTING THE OTHER BANK OF STRAIGHTENING ROLLS TO STRETCH A SECONDGROUP OF SPACED APART LOCALIZED AREAS ACROSS THE WIDTH OF THE MATERIAL,THE LOCALIZED AREAS OF SAID FIRST GROUP ALTERNATING UNIFORMLY ACROSS THEWIDTH OF THE MATERIAL AND LONGITUDINALLY OF THE AXIS OF THESTRAIGHTENING ROLLS WITH THE LOCALIZED AREAS OF SAID SECOND GROUP, ANDARRANGING BACK-UP ROLLERS OF THE FIRST AND SECOND BANKS OF STRAIGHTENINGROLLS IN SUCH MANNER AS TO COLLECTIVELY OPERATE TO FORM THE MATERIAL THEFULL WIDTH THEREOF.